Prayer Principles from Psalm 41

This passage has been on my heart a lot this season. 

Psa 41:1-3 (NKJV) Blessed is he who considers the poor;
The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth;
You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

Notice that God promises deliverance from times of trouble. Which means that there will be troubles, even in the life of the generous. Notice also that it also implies that generous people are not immune to sickness, and that they will have enemies.

Psa 41:4-6 (NIV) - I said, “O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
My enemies say of me in malice, "When will he die and his name perish?”
Whenever one comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it abroad.

In this case, David has fallen into severe illness. And he knows it is the consequence of his sin (vs 4). Pay attention: David does not ignore the sickness or pretend it's not his fault. He also did not think God ought to ignore his sin just because of the good he has done before. He understands God too well for that!


I know some generous people who don't take their own sin seriously, and they are taken aback, caught off-guard and offended when they reap the harvest from their sin. And they start raging against God. It’s actually quite common; there are some people who head charities, for example, and have terrible tempers, or commit adultery or embezzle funds. I suspect they feel, deep in their hearts, that their good works gives them some room to sin...


Make sure you don't fall into that deception!

Psa 41:7-9 (NIV) All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying,
“A vile disease has beset him; he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

We don't see in the Bible any account of David falling sick, so it's hard to tie this psalm to a specific incident in David's life. The closest guess, in my opinion, is that this psalm refers to the time David committed adultery with Bathsheba, which eventually led to Absalom's rebellion and Ahithophel's betrayal (2 Sam 11, 13-16).


Remember that as David’s trusted counsellor, Ahithophel not only had the ear of the king, he also knew his heart. If any man would know how David would think and act, it was Ahithophel. Ahithophel thus would be the person most capable of plotting David’s downfall, since he knew David inside-out.


And if someone who knew him inside-out could not only reject him but actively work towards his defeat, it was a rejection of everything that David stood for. He must have been thinking “If someone who knows my heart so deeply could betray me, what does that say about my heart?” It's enough to crush a man's spirit!

Pro 18:14 (NIV) - A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

It takes faith to rise up above this. It takes faith in order to know God still loves us in spite of our sins and in spite of our failings. Hear the prayer of a man who pleases God's heart -

Psalm 41:10-12 (NIV) - But you, O LORD, have mercy on me; raise me up, that I may repay them. I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me. In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.

Personally, I feel uncomfortable with this part. David prayed that God would let him avenge himself on his enemies. One thing I noticed, however, is that God kept David from doing so. Whether we are talking about Saul, who sought to kill David in the earlier days, or Ahithophel, or even Absalom, David never had to raise his hand against his enemies. God eventually took care of those enemies, and kept David from avenging himself on them.


The point, however, seems to be that because David loved God, David could pray what he wanted. God would still decide what was best and settle matters accordingly.


And that's what I want to share with you also. Just pray, pouring out your heart to God honestly, and let God decide how he wants to handle the matter.


Also, begin with remembering the promises of God.


If we had stopped at the end of verse 3, we would have thought this was a feel-good, sunshine-and-roses kind of Psalm. It’s when we look at verse 4 onwards that we realize that David wrote this in the midst of severe trial and testing. He was commanding his soul to feed on the promises of God.


We likewise ought to do the same. When we are in the midst of a difficult season, we need to discipline ourselves to not only to pray, but to pray remembering the promises of God. We see the same principle in the following passage:

Lamentations 3:19-26 (NIV) - I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

Notice how the writer of Lamentations has to consciously remember the goodness of God even in the midst of grief? If we want to have a confident and enjoyable prayer life, we need to do the same.


Conclusion:


Our worship lives will not rise above our prayer lives. That is why we need to not only pray, but pray in ways that please God. The LORD chose to have this psalm preserved for us in Scripture so that it may encourage and strengthen us in the LORD. I hope my sharing has helped to spur you on and make your prayer life more like how God wants it to be!

Sharing Some Music

Hi, everyone!

This is rather different. Instead of worship-related material, I'd like to share some music I did recently.

The first is my own variations on a chorus. The original came from a Chinese song written by the Singaporean singer/songwriter Stephanie Sun. The original is like this:

My chorus and variations goes like this:

I also did a cover version of Girl From Ipanema, a famous bossanova standard. It was interesting, I didn't try out all the auto-accompaniment before I did the recording, so some of it caught me by surprise.

Anyway, these were done just for the fun of it. No teaching points included, so if that's what you were looking for, sorry to disappoint you! If you enjoyed the videos of my playing, please click over to those video pages (click on those videos) and leave a comment on them. Thanks!

Lesson from 1 Corinthians 14

A few Sundays back, one of the church leaders spoke to me after the service. He told me “I just want to tell you that you minister on the piano, really minister. Not just today, but every time…”

And that really encouraged me a lot.

Before you get me wrong, I am not one of those high-maintenance musicians, who need to be affirmed and encouraged every week. In fact, one pastor I serve with mentioned that I am very low-maintenance, and he’s glad for that. There are two reasons why I am low-maintenance: 1) I enjoy serving in the worship ministry, so I am self-motivated; 2) I am very confident of what I am doing, so I am self-directed most of the time.

But sometimes I go out on a limb and decide to try stuff out of nowhere. For example, that particular Sunday we used the song Dance with Me, by Jesus Culture. At one point the worship leader did not indicate which part of the song to do next. On the spur of the moment I turned up the keyboard volume and played the melody of the chorus. Because my church worship band is really a dream team, the whole team went that way too, and it all sounded prepared and rehearsed.

It wasn’t.

And later the worship leader directed me to just linger after a song and give the congregation room to sing their own songs unto the Lord. Err… I immediately launched off into one of my trusty chord progressions, Bm7 – C#m7 – D – E (we were in the key of F# minor), and stayed there until the worship leader went into the next song (which was in the key of A major). Again unrehearsed and unprepared, but it all worked out ok, at least to me.

1 Cor 14:29 (NKJV) - Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

So to have that church leader approach me and affirm me after the service meant a lot to me.

Acts 2:18 (NKJV) - And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.

This passage tells me that the New Testament church is to be characterized by prophecy (we can argue what prophecy means some other time). But if you want to prophesy you have to be willing to let your prophecies be judged by the rest of your local body of Christ, as instructed in 1 Corinthians 14:29.

So I take the same principle and apply it to my playing. I have to be open to having it judged by the body of Christ, especially my church leaders. Now, it isn’t practical for me to go around making a nuisance of myself and bugging the worship leaders and my pastor for feedback after EVERY service. But 1 Cor 14:29 does mean that I do have to be open to feedback on my work and ministry unto the LORD.

So what does it mean for you?

Two things:

1) Be willing to submit to judgment.

It’s unrealistic to believe that diligently seeking God's guidance will mean that you will make no mistake or have everyone approve of your decisions. And if that worries you, you are operating from fear rather than faith.

All it takes is humility, being willing to accept feedback and maybe realize that sometimes we don't hear God as clearly as we'd like. Exercise humility and teachability when you're serving God with other people. It's less pressurizing in the long run...

2) Be gentle and generous with your feedback.

If someone went out on a limb, either in the worship ministry or some other way, be quick to affirm the good in it. How about problems or mistakes? Personally I would not mention the problems or mistakes unless I have a relationship with that person (he/she trusts me) or if I am in a leadership position in that group.

Why? Because of my manner. I can come across as strict and harsh in person, so I have to be extra careful to be gentle, to not crush someone's spirit.

Isaiah 42:3 (NIV) - A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

Watch out for that too, if you are in a leadership position. There will be times when you will have to call someone out on his or her mistakes or defiance, especially if the culture in that group has gone haywire. But hopefully that is not going to be common in the church or fellowship you serve at!


Conclusion:

We love God by serving his people (Heb 6:10) and we become effective only when we work together with others and let them sharpen us (Pro 27:17). So be open to the feedback and advice from others, and also remember to exhort and encourage one another, especially when they go out on a limb to serve God!

Going for the Heart

How to keep the wrong people out of the worship team

Pro 14:15 - The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. (NKJV)

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how gullible some worship ministry leaders can get. I've seen many of them taken in by people who say they are serious about serving in the worship team, yet are not willing to put in the effort to get training. Sometimes those leaders approach me and say things like "That person is very serious about worship ministry, he has the heart for worship, can you help him?"

This, by the way, is usually an indirect request for free music lessons. People in church can be like that. This comes from a spirit of poverty upon that person, but that's a topic for another day…

I know I sound uncaring and calculative, but I've done this way too often and I have NEVER seen my efforts bear fruit. Such people never practice what I tell them to practice, never put in the work they need to put in and as a result never become effective in service. So don't waste my time!

Pro 20:11 Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right. (NKJV)

I wonder how much heartache and frustration would have been averted if ministry leaders kept the wrong people out of the worship band. In this day and age people have no excuses to not have the skills for whatever instrument they wish to play. Youtube has easily millions of dollars worth of music lessons available for free. Anyone who is serious but lacking in funds can easily head over there and get loads of good instrument and vocal teaching.

Of course it takes more work to organize and understand the material, but a serious person won't let that stop him or her!

But how about the heart? Would every good Christian musician have what it takes to do well in the worship ministry? Not necessarily. Here's a simple list of what they need to be an asset to your worship team.

• Basic level of skill with the instrument or voice – easily checked during the audition. And as a side benefit, if someone has a basic level of skill with an instrument, it shows that he or she is capable of putting in consistent work over a period of time. This basic level of discipline is very useful for many areas of life, not just music.
• Willingness to take a supporting role – you have to explain this during the briefings and auditions. Why? Because many immature musicians who are more impressed with flashiness rather than good taste, can hear a mature church band (playing only what is necessary) and think they are called of God to join the team and show the rest of the musicians how to rock the church building for the glory of God. They are expecting that once they show off their stuff on the guitar fretboard or piano key, for example, all the rest of you would immediately affirm them and say "That's great! If only you joined us earlier!!" And Sunday worship would be made up of them "humbly" displaying their skills to the glory of God…

Don't wait until they start overplaying on Sunday before you tell them that they need to restrain themselves. Tell them early and let them decide if they still want to join the worship team.

• Willingness to follow direction – this is the most crucial point.

If I tell a musician to play something in a particular way, and I know this musician has the necessary skill for it, this musician has totally no excuse for not following my instructions. "I'll try" is an unacceptable answer. If they cannot remember my instructions, then they should write them down on the chord charts I take time to prepare for every session I lead worship.

(Or they could just simply follow the chord charts. It takes only a couple of months to learn how to read them. A musician who plays solely by ear may be stuck in his/her ways already. Teaching them how to read chord charts is a quick way to see if they are still teachable and humble…)

Of course, I can be that dogmatic when giving specific instructions to other musicians. That's because I understand music, can play 3 instruments and have loads of experience teaching adult learners. If you don't have that level of skill and understanding you may have to be more careful when issuing such firm instructions. But at a minimum, you should expect musicians to follow the chord charts, just as you would expect singers to follow the song lyrics you give, and not keep changing the lyrics every time you do the song. People who will not do that do NOT have the necessary heart to serve in a worship ministry.

On YOUR part…

… if you are the worship leader or the leader of the ministry, you have to make every effort to make sure your followers have no valid reasons to not follow your directions.

That's why if I lead worship I prepare my own chord charts, ensure they are sent out a couple of days before, going through everything during the rehearsal and check if the musicians and vocalists can hear me and the anchor instrument I am using. As a leader you need to anticipate problems and deal with them or move around them.

How do you check if a musician can follow directions?

You have to build all that into the audition process. Give them directions and see how they follow. One idea is to tell them to repeat a chorus three times and build up the intensity each time. Give them some leeway in how they do it, but see if they do it, or at least try. Then decide from there.

Conclusion:

Never be desperate to take in just anybody. It's a recipe for trouble. The last thing you want is a worship "team" made up of individualistic players, each off in his or her own world, contributing more noise than music and giving you attitude problems in other ways as well. Keep the wrong people out and exercise your faith to believe God to provide the right musicians, those with a genuine heart for worship ministry. 

May you and your worship team grow both in size and skill, in the name of Jesus!

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Announcement:
I've noticed that some people have purchased my Invisible Worship Musician e-book but have not signed up for the special lessons and updates emails. If you are one of them, please email me so I can put you on that list. I have some lesson materials that are more private, and kept only for the people on that list. Thanks!

How NOT to recruit musicians

I came across this excellent article on recruiting church musicians.

http://www.worshipministry.com/worship-planning/worship-planning-six-lousy-methods-to-get-more-musicians-part-1/

It's well written. Not only does it cover what I consider important (as written in my article here - http://www.invisibleworshipmusician.com/article02.htm) it also has some insights I didn't consider before, like how people with the gift of helps end up in the worship ministry.

I also like how the writer would offer to teach music-score-dependant pianists how to read the lead sheets they use. It's a requirement in his church, some pianists can't meet it, but if they are serious, genuinely serious about serving God in the worship ministry, he'll take the effort to help them meet it. (so those with more heart than ability have no excuse to not buck up!)

It's a great article, so I wanted to share it with you. Again, it's over here at

http://www.worshipministry.com/worship-planning/worship-planning-six-lousy-methods-to-get-more-musicians-part-1/

If you like it, do leave a comment on the page to encourage the writer (public encouragement like this is the way to go in the social media age). Enjoy!

Don't Entertain Fear

It's both amusing and sad at the same time.

I come from a Word-of-Faith background, and I get to fellowship with people who believe in biblical wealth and divine health. So they do not put up with financial lack or sickness; they will immediately pray for money or healing, as the case may be.

But I personally know many in the worship ministry who would tolerate and entertain the spirit of fear. Why???

2 Tim 1:7 (NKJV) - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Sometimes the fear is obvious.

One worship leader I work with regularly ALWAYS puts her songs in keys that are too low for the congregation. And she does that even though she can reach ALL the higher notes she needs, even if she puts the songs in my key.

I'll remind her to use the best key for the congregation, and I always get a snap, unthinking reaction. "No, cannot, too high for me!" She would say that every time, as if I was one of those dabblers and wannabes who don't really know music, or as if I am just a musician and not a fellow worship leader trying to help. I get tired of having to remind her that I already KNOW her vocal range, and that I'm not out to embarrass her or mess up her singing!

Sometimes it's not so obvious.

I remember once being a guest worship leader (at another church), and facing a musician who told me he does not read chord charts. I remembered thinking to myself "what's he going to do on the keyboards then? Doodle all over the place and call it playing by the spirit?"

You can guess how irritated I was by that, until I realized he would rather keep his playing random (doodling) so that he could deny responsibility for his note choices and "inspiration". Basically, he was afraid of people judging his choice of notes and thinking they were lousy.

(They were, by the way. His note choices were quite random, but consistently lousy. They'd clash with the chords, rhythms and the rest of the band. The music sounded better whenever he stopped playing...)

And that was why he refused to learn how to read chord charts or write down the notes he needed to play to fit the rest of the band. Ironic, to 'protect' his note choices from being judged he ended up with totally lousy ones.

Fear has a way of messing up everything, I noticed...

The point of what I'm saying is this: many people, including myself, have areas in our daily lives where we need to face up to our fears. Whether those areas are music-related (sight-reading, singing or strumming) or not (writing in proper English, public speaking or making conversation with strangers) does not matter. We should not entertain or tolerate fear in our lives. We should face up to them instead.

How should we do that? Get the support and prayers of our friends, get coaching from someone who knows what he or she is doing, and just get on with it. God has given us a measure of faith (Rom 12:3) and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13), so let's throw off fear and live the life of faith he wants us to live!

Be blessed!

Looking Back

(personal blog post)

August is the month I do a lot of looking back.

Maybe it's just my perception, but it seems like lots of significant things happen to me in August. Should I go check it up in the Jewish calendar and see if it coincides with any specific Jewish season, feast or event? :)

So I naturally think through past events even more during August. I read through my old notes, I flip through my journals and even look at older emails. There's always a sense of nostagia, of how innocent I was then. I always feel as if I am getting more jaded and cynical as the days go by. Of course, in a year's time I'll look back at this post and think about how innocent I was back then!

I usually don't have enough time or mind-space to spare for reminiscing, because I am really busy. But once a year I make the time for it. It's good, I find that it helps me plan better how to use the rest of the year, so that I won't be totally frustrated and remorseful over wasted time by the end of the year.

But August 2011 is over. Enough of looking back, time to get things done. I still have four more months to make 2011 rock, so let's keep going! :)

Giving to the Poor

"You must be led by the Spirit when it comes to giving to the poor."

Do you agree or disagree with that idea?

I've met a number of people who say that we should not give to the poor without the specific leading of God. Some of them argue from this passage in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!" (Luke 15:17, NIV)

Their reasoning is:

1) The son came to his senses because he was starving.

2) What if someone gave him food before that? Would that not have delayed him coming to his senses, or maybe even short-circuited the process?

3) We cannot tell where poor people are at in their lives, if they are just about to come to their senses if their suffering lasts a little longer;

Therefore we need to inquire of the Spirit before giving to the poor, whether we should give and, if so, how much.

Here's My Answer

Firstly, anyone who can be bothered to just skim through the Bible will know God commands us to give to the poor.

In the Old Testament:

"During the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." (Exodus 23:11 NIV)

And again,

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:22 (NIV)

All that is about leaving food for the poor to pick up. Notice it didn't say we need to be careful about who we leave the food behind for, nor does it warn us that letting the poor eat may delay them from coming to their senses. How about giving to them directly?

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs… Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. (Deu 15:8-9, 10, NIV)

And in the New Testament:

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21, NIV)

Notice that Jesus did NOT say "follow me and I'll tell you who are the poor you should give to"? He also tells us not only to give to the poor, but to go one step further and have fellowship with them.

"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." (Luke 14:13, NIV)

Let's compare the "Spirit-led" reasoning and my answer.

In their thinking, only the first point is supported by Scripture. The second is a --what-if-- and –maybe--. The third is true. But the conclusion, that we need to be led by the Spirit to give to the poor, is based entirely on the --what-if-- and –maybe-- given in the second point.

It is NOT directly stated in the Bible at all, nor do we see it demonstrated anywhere in the Bible. It looks good and sounds very spiritual, but it is only human teaching. And Jesus' opinion of that is "They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." (Matthew 15:9, NIV)

I Understand Where They Are Coming From

I really do. Poverty is actually a spiritual problem, and the poor very often are poor because of some attitudes, beliefs and wrong ideas that they hold. After all, everything we see in our lives originates first from our hearts (Pro 4:23) and we experience physical prosperity is tied in with our soul-prosperity (3 John 2). So we can argue that if someone is poor there may be some spiritual problem causing it, or some spiritual lesson the person has to learn in order to get out of poverty. Maybe.

And I have seen some poor people who only care about milking you for all they can get. They may say they don't want to be poor, but they are still doing the things that keep them poor. They also avoid doing what will bring them financial provision and abundance. As long as they can get a hand-out from you, they have no motivation to change their lifestyle and behaviour. And they will stay in the cycle of poverty.

So if you decide that because of that you will NOT give to the poor, or you will give only to very selected cases, I understand fully. But please don't try to justify your decision with spiritual-sounding clichés and jargon. Call it what it is, a personal decision or personal conviction. Don't mention the Holy Spirit to make your decision sound more acceptable, I believe that is misusing the name of God (Exo 20:7).

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."( 1 John 3:17-18, NIV)

Why Am I Talking About All This?

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16. NIV)

Because giving to the poor is also tied in with worship. When you give to the poor, God calls it a sacrifice that pleases him. Some people think they should not give to the poor because they are struggling to make ends meet. That's like saying that only those with good voices should sing praises to God. It's disobeying the clear commands of Scripture.

In case you misunderstand, I'm not financially rich myself. There are always things to pay for, expenses I know are coming up and unexpected problems that cost money. So I following this command isn't easy for me either. But I will still find ways to do it. And there will always be ways.

Here's An Example

One day I was meeting a customer at a church in a poorer district of Singapore. There an unkempt woman with a scrawny little boy (about the same age as Jessiah) approached me and asked for a few dollars to feed her son. And as she talked the smell of alcohol hit me smack in the face.

Dilemma: Should I give her a few dollars, knowing she will throw it away on alcohol and leave her son hungry? Or walk away and leave the poor boy hungry? Both were unacceptable to me.

So I decided to take charge of the situation and overwhelm the woman with enthusiasm. "What?!??!? Your son is hungry? Little boy, how old are you?" I spoke to the boy directly. The kid was surprised at me talking to him directly, but he answered me with Jess' age at that time. "You're hungry? I'll buy food for you!" And I dragged mother and son off to a nearby food stall, told the boy to order what food he wanted and told the stallholder to pack a larger portion of rice, meat and veg for the boy and his mother.

"Boy, are you thirsty?" "I'm OK, I drink water from a tap." "No boy, that's not good enough. Come with me!" And I went over to a nearby convenience shop and bought them bottled water (Singapore water is fluoridated, bleah!!!) and apples too. It was fun actually, because I was both feeding the poor (as God commanded) AND playing along with the mother. You should have seen the look on her face as she saw me paying for the food and water. Total dismay. All that money that she could have spent on beer, and not a cent going to her! I spent more than the few dollars she was hoping for, and she couldn't stop me without admitting that she only wanted the money for beer.

In the meantime, I kept talking to the boy. It was heart-warming to see how happy he was. I made sure the food was enough for both him and his mother, and if she chose not to eat it but to get drunk instead, then the boy would have enough for 2-3 meals. On top of that, I talked to the boy as if he was an intelligent fellow, deserving dignity. He was a good kid, I could tell from the time I spent with him.

Finally, when I HAD to leave, the mother made one last try, asking for a few dollars again. And I could honestly tell her that I was out of cash, showing her my empty wallet. And I needed to rush off for another appointment. And with a cheery "God bless you!" to the son I left. She got what she asked for, but not what she wanted. Hahaha!

Conclusion:

I share the above story not to boast of my good works (many people do more than me, and much more often) but to show that there are always ways to help the poor. You just need to be a little bit more creative. It doesn't have to be just money, you can organize a church outing to clean the homes of some poor people, the aged who are staying by themselves and cannot clean up their homes.

And just as I have discovered that things go better in my life when I take time out to praise God, I believe you will find things going better in your life as you make the effort to do good and share with others. Be blessed!

From Father to Son

A short time back, I found an old CD of an audio recording of Bible verses I did for Jess. In those days Jess was just an infant, and I wanted him to hear over and over again the Word of God. So I just got down to it, did a few simple home-made recordings and kept having that CD played when I wasn't around to read the Bible to him.

Well, Jess grew and I started spending more time with him to read to him. And other things came along, and I misplaced my final copy of those recordings. But I finally found my last CD, put the tracks on my phone, started listening to it every day ever since, and found that it built MY faith too!

So here is one of the tracks, From Father to Son. It's a short (less than 7 minutes) recording of selected verses from Proverbs. You can just download it as a gift from here.

Yup, it's a gift. You don't have to buy my e-book, make a special donation, refer customers to me or whatever. Just go to this page and download it. And let your Christian friends know of it too, so they can get it and be blessed as well. It's especially great for parents with sons that they want to raise as godly children, but I sincerely believe anyone will be blessed if they get it and keep listening to it everyday for a couple of weeks.

Remember, it's a home-made recording. And when I say home-made, I really mean home-made. The sound quality isn't going to be fantastic, the music isn't going to inspiring, my voice isn't going to be EQ-ed properly and all that. But it blessed Jessiah and I, so I share it with you also.

If it blesses you too, do let me know. Leave a comment or something like that on this blog page. Thanks!

Worship Leader Basics

About two weeks ago, I attended the funeral wake of my grandmother-in-law.

It was a Christian funeral service, because she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior for quite a few years already. I wasn’t close to her in the first place; the Singapore pace of life makes it hard to build decent relationships amongst relatives and friends. So it was out-of-sight-out-of-mind for her, and I'm not proud of that.

Because I wasn’t emotionally close, I was emotionally detached enough to observe the worship leader and musician trying to lead worship for the service. They stumbled over some of the basics. I haven't talked much about worship leading basics before, so I had better mention some of them now.

1) Sing Appropriately

One of the songs they used was 轻轻听, (it was a Chinese service). This means "listen gently", but if you don't understand Mandarin Chinese you'd never have guessed from the worship leader's singing. She was bawling it out for the entire song. Her dynamics ranged from loud, very loud and voice-distorted-on-the-mike kind of loud. I spent the 4 minutes or so cringing and feeling embarrassed for her.

So please sing appropriately. Match your voice and singing volume to the lyrics of the song. Don't sing a rousing song timidly, and don't belt out a quiet, contemplative song at the top of your voice. If you do, it shows you aren't really paying attention to what you are singing in the first place.

2) Rehearse

They sang Amazing Grace (but with Chinese lyrics) next. The worship leader and musician stumbled over the song for the first verse. Why? Because the leader was singing the song in three-four time (which is how it was originally written, and how many Singaporean Christians know it) and the guitarist was playing in four-four time.

What made it even more of a waste was that the people really tried to sing this song. And it was all choked up by the guitarist. Now if the leader and guitarist had rehearsed the song before hand, they would have been able to come to an agreement (three-four or four-four?). That would have allowed the two of them to start in sync, which would have made a large difference.

I recently got tagged into a discussion on Facebook about rehearsals. A lady was questioning the need for rehearsals. Her thought was that since it was worship, God was the recipient and the sincerity of heart was the most important, why practice so much? We don't practice our prayers, do we? She believed that practice was for performances unto men, not to God. So we should just spontaneously sing and play unto God, right?

Now I could go into her points the way I was taught in my university philosophy course, go straight for the assumptions behind her points, challenge the assumptions and then demolish them with Scripture passages. But I understand where she's coming from. She's reacting to the extremes of performance music in church. Performance music tends to have structure imposed for structure's sake, so she, like many others, went the other extreme by rejecting all structure.

She even said that the musicians and singers at the dedication of the temple just spontaneously played and sang unto God. From that we could easily guess that she never tried to coordinate 288 singers and musicians (1 Chr 25:7) as well as another 120 priests with trumpets before, or she'd quickly discover how 'spontaneous is best' would epically fail on her…

Just so you know, the idea that worship was supposed to be spontaneous also came out in the book Pagan Christianity. But just because an idea is popular doesn't necessarily mean that it's correct!

So practice. Rehearse. The only time you won't need it is if all the worship team is doing familiar songs. In other words, if the rehearsals are already done!

3) Match the intensity of the people

Leading worship for a funeral service is tough, because there may be visitors there who are not yet believers or who come from a different church and worship culture. So they may just stand there and not sing.

When that happens, it's difficult to generate momentum in the worship. The worship leader that evening tried to do so by singing louder and later singing in tongues. Maybe that would work in her home church, the congregation may take that as a cue to sing in tongues together with her, and there would be some participation at least.

But at a funeral service? With outsiders, people from liturgical churches and non-Christians?

1 Cor 14: 23 - So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? (NIV)

As I said, I understand how difficult it is to lead worship properly at a funeral service. If you are the worship leader, you have to be ready to feel as if you are singing all alone. If the people DO sing, they usually sing in a lack-lustre way. It's tempting to try to rouse them by hyping things up a bit.

Don't.

Go as far as you can for that session and that's it. If the people aren't flowing with you, don't try to force them. One objection some Christians have to contemporary praise and worship is that they see it as emotional manipulation. And if you try to hype up the worship when the people aren't responding, you ARE doing exactly that.

Conclusion:

The basics. If we have been serving in the worship ministry for some time it's easy to assume everyone knows the basics. But once in a while, just to be sure, it's good to go back and re-visit them again. And share them with your worship team also, especially the newer members!

What Upset Jessiah

Jessiah was totally pissed off last night.

After I got home from teaching, he showed me this flyer that said:

"Enhancing your learning journey with iPad!"

"With the convenience of having study notes in an iPad, learning capabilities and potential are maximized, thus benefitting the student."

"You are entitled to a FREE iPad2 if you are:

• Primary, Secondary, Junior College students
• Valid Student Pass"

And of course, in a very much smaller font, in one unobtrusive corner of the page, "Terms and Conditions apply"

Being an innocent 9-year-old, he of course thought they were really giving away iPads just like that. I flipped over to the other side of the flyer showed him how it was a marketing ploy to get walk-ins for a tuition centre. I also took him through the figures, what it would look like if the centre gave iPads to EVERY student that signed up. And if it didn't make much sense for them to give iPads to EVERY student that they signed up, would they give iPads to those who did not sign up for lessons there?

As I said, Jessiah was very upset. He thought the centre was lying on the flyer, trying to cheat innocent little 9-year-olds like him. I definitely don't want him to always assume the worst of other people, so I told him that maybe the people who wrote this were just lousy communicators and didn't mean to create misunderstanding.

I mean, look at their choice of words. The grammar is quite shaky and the words were bigger than they needed to be (capabilities, potential, maximized – typically corporate-speak. God knows, I detest corporate-speak).

But certainly, if any of my children needed tuition for their school work, that centre would be the LAST place I send my kids to. Either they were being untruthful or they are lousy communicators. And if they can't even communicate well on a flyer, what makes me think they can teach my kids anything properly?

Why was Jessiah so upset?

You see, in his mind the iPad was already his. He already planned the first download, (Angry Birds of course) and had already planned how to get me to pay for the rest of the games he wanted. He already had visions of quietly sitting one corner for hours every day, smashing through the various levels with aplomb, and of course scoring even higher than me.

So the truth ruined all his dreams and plans!

Out in the Business World

For us who are out in the business world, sometimes there are people who try to pull a fast one over us during negotiations. Let's say we agree to a deal (business or job, for example) that had A, B and C. And at the last minute, they try to change point C just after you and they have already agreed to the entire deal.

If at that time you have already started thinking the deal or the job is yours, started planning how to spend the commission or salary, or even worse, started borrowing money expecting to repay the loan with the money you were certain you were going to get, you'll be in deep trouble. Why? Because you would be emotionally attached to making the deal or job work, even though they just changed point C on you. You'll feel pressurized to give in on point C so that the deal would work. At that time, you will find it difficult to step back from your emotions, the turmoil and fear of loss, and ask yourself if the deal or job is still worth it even without point C.

That is what those negotiators are counting on when they make those last minute changes. That's what they are hoping for!

Two very important precautions:

1) Remember, it's not yours until it's yours.

Until everything is signed and the cheque is in your hand (or the money already in your bank account), the deal isn't through yet. Until that point, something can still go wrong, so don't get emotionally attached to the deal or job yet.

2) Always have options.

If you are stuck, and think that this deal or job is ONLY way to go, you will feel pressured to accepting it anyway, even if point C was VERY important to you. That is the reason why you need clear options. If this deal doesn't work, exactly what will you do next to get another? What is the next job offer you have waiting for you?

When you have options, such negotiators are unable to pull a fast one over you with these cheap tactics.

The best example of having options is Billy Graham Ministries, As I said before, they pay their suppliers promptly (sometimes on the very day). Because of that they have many suppliers offering them the best deals. Those who try to cheat them get away with it ONCE. And they never get a foot at the door again, because of the hordes of other suppliers waiting for a chance.

Always seek to create more definite options for yourself. This will allow you to step back when there are any last minute hiccups.

Are ALL last minute changes attempts to cheat you?

Of course not!

Just keep an eye open during the negotiations. For example, if point C is important to you and the other side agreed to it quickly (too easily???), don't be surprised if they try to change point C later. People with a lot of experience in using this tactic may try to throw in some other hiccup first (maybe some last minute delay) then try to change point C after that. And without offering anything else in exchange.

How will you respond to this? That's between you and God. Will you decide the deal is still worth it? Will you create a better counter-offer? Go the extra mile? Walk away and decide there's no point doing business with people who cannot be trusted? That's up to you to decide. But in order to decide with clarity and wisdom, you need to be emotionally calm and know what your back-up options are. That way such negotiators will not be able to take advantage of you.

Think about this for a while, as I try to figure out how to teach such things to my sons without turning them into total cynics. Be blessed!

Is it supposed to be easy?

One thing I realized a couple of Sundays ago, it's actually quite an easy job playing for my church worship team.

One thing, the skill level is there, but there is no one trying to hog the limelight or the sound mix by playing too much or random doodling on the instrument. We are all content to play what is necessary, to flow with the dynamics of the session, and no more.

And flowing with the dynamics is easy also. Almost every musician in the team is also a worship leader in his own right (we have an all-guy band), so it's easy to just ride the wave, so to speak. Seriously speaking, how many professional church musicians, even in mega-churches, are effective worship leaders in their own right? Not that many in Singapore!

One worship leader I was chatting with once asked me, "Don't you think the musicians need sensitivity to the Holy Spirit during the worship?" and was a bit surprised when I answered "No, they just need to follow the worship leader. We don't need great spiritual sensitivity, just some basic humility!"

(have I offended anyone yet?)

In my experience, if the worship leader isn't flowing with the Holy Spirit, there is very little a musician can do. Little, subtle nudges through the music are about all we musicians can try. And even then, if the worship leader doesn't get it, we have to flow with the leader anyway, or there would be dis-harmony in the team. And that's not good.

Let me put it this way…

A good worship musician cannot help a bad worship leader very much, but a bad worship musician can definitely drag a good worship leader down. So as a musician, my job is mainly to support the worship leader with what he or she is doing. It's up to the worship leader to make sure he or she is doing the right thing!

Why do some people think being a worship musician is difficult?

Basic skill – if your basic skill level isn't there, you will of course have to put in effort to manage. If you are a drummer and can't even play consistent quavers (eighth-notes) on the hi-hats, for example, you can be sure the rest of your skills aren't up to par. Playing for worship will then be a stressful experience, both for you and for the rest of the band.

Worship music – Let's be frank, what passes for contemporary church music these days has grown a lot more complex. In the old days, the most musically challenging arrangements and songs would come from an occasional Ron Kenonly album, where they would pull all the stops on the band, orchestra and choir. Tom Brooks would unleash his usual musical genius to create arrangements that would leave everyone going "wow!!!". And everyone would be awed by the entire album.

But those were special albums, special occasions. For every one of those special albums, Integrity Music would have 10 or more that are taken from what churches did and found effective. These days, many albums seem to be concert-like standard, with a professional band, huge choir and enough attendees to fill a small stadium. The average church is left with the impression that they are supposed to have music like those albums too, or it wouldn't be acceptable praise and worship in God's eyes…

Talk about a heavy burden!

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, good worship music is what unifies the praises of the congregation. Oftentimes, what is simpler tends to work better in a real-life church, as long as the counts and the chords are clear. As a general rule-of-thumb, the more you play the less they sing.

(more on this in the Invisible Worship Musician, chapters 9 to 11)

Worship dynamics – As I said earlier, musicians just need to be able to follow the worship leader. For us, worship dynamics made up of whether to build up the intensity or bring it down. For worship leaders, core decisions will be:

1. Do you bring up or down the intensity? That's easy, let the congregation's singing be your guide.
   
2. Do you move on to the next song with high intensity or bring it down again before you go there? Again, let the congregation's singing be your guide. Just remember that you need to be sure the people know the next song if you want to go there high. Or else the whole thing will just crash on you. Painfully.
   
3. And at the end of the song, does God want to exhort the congregation through you? This is something you need to consider at the later part of the worship, IF the praises of the congregation has been unified. Just be ready for it. Since the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy (Rev 19:10), don't be surprised if God wants to exhort, encourage and edify the congregation through you sometime during the worship session.

These three concerns are the ones a worship leader has to deal with. Us musicians have it easy, by comparison. Just how to build up or bring down, and maybe what to play during prophecy, spontaneous worship or during prayer time (my book, chapter 11). If you have the experience and know what usually happens during the worship session, flowing with the dynamics is actually quite easy. You'd then have a good reason to be confident!

Conclusion:

I share all this not to gloat or boast, but to show that it CAN be easy to play music for worship. If it isn't, check to see if you have the basic skills, an accurate understanding of what worship music is like, and confidence in flowing with the dynamics of the worship set.

Just remember, God isn't in the business of giving us burdens to heavy to bear. He's in the business of giving us rest. So get any unnecessary clutter out of your way and enjoy serving God in the worship ministry. Be blessed!

Worship Ministry – How To Work With Difficult Musicians

One of the reasons why I wrote the Invisible Worship Musician was that I wanted to put an end to worship music clashes forever. Play more? Play less? Is flashy good or bad? Glorifying the flesh or showing the greatness of God?

I cut all those questions at the root by showing:

• What worship ministry is supposed to achieve
• Tried and tested ways of doing it
• How to tell if you achieved it

But let's be realistic; not everyone has read my book, and not everyone agrees with it. So what do you do when you have to work with musicians who don't cooperate with you, who flat-out refuse to play what works and insist on doing things their way instead? Here are some things to watch out for.

1) Remember Respect

Don't get so caught up in getting the music to go the way you want that you forget basic respect. Remember, the musician or singer giving you problems is also a sibling-in-Christ, and so deserves basic respect for that.

1 John 4:10-11 (NIV) - This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

There are many ways of loving one another. But sarcastic or insulting words are NOT one of them. The LORD is watching you; how do you handle this challenging situation? Make sure that whatever you do or say is something you won't be ashamed to account to God for.

Matthew 12:37 (NIV) - For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

2) Long-Term or Short-Term?

Is it a long-term or short-term situation? For example, if you are leading worship for a special conference or event, and you are stuck with a quirky musician because he or she is the only one available from the host church, it isn't worth losing sleep over. If you are only leading worship at that church once a month, or the difficult musician is only a temporary substitute while your main one is away on maternity leave, don't sweat it.

You don't have much responsibility for the situation, unless the pastor asks for your help. And you also don't have very much you can do either!

Proverbs 26:17 (NKJV) - He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

But if the problem is a long-term one, you inherited the worship musicians from someone who let the wrong people in, and you have to work with them week after week after week, then this is something you have to take action on.

What you do depends on how much authority you have (are you the leader of the team or just a regular member?) and how much your leader and pastor support your actions. This is a tricky situation, so it is best to work as a team with your leader or pastor on this.

3) Be Patient

No one becomes an uncooperative musician overnight. He or she probably took a long time to build up the bad habits, so it will take time to change them.

It often happens like this: someone has a few flashy displays and people were impressed. So this musician takes this feedback as encouragement to keep on doing more of this, or other stuff like it.

After some time, the playing style and approach has become a strongly held habit. Not everyone has the interest or the time to explore new ways of playing, or to become a musician who can adapt to different situations. They become one-trick ponies, and feel threatened and insecure if you make them think their precious one trick isn't good enough.

So when you are working with them, it is far better to underwhelm them with what you want them to change, than to have them mentally give up on following your instructions.

So give specific pointers and bite-sized tips, such as

• "If you do drum fills during the chorus it throws off my singing. How about doing fills only when I am not singing? Or here's something even better: sing with me, that will help you feel the song."
  
  
• "Let's have our keyboards do complementing jobs, OK? I'll do the rhythm stuff, you do the pads and fills? If we do rhythm together the sound is very cluttered…"
  
  
• "Let me set the tempo for especially the slower songs, OK? I'll use the piano to mark out the counts, stay with me on them."
  
  
• "We need to have less keyboard playing so that the acoustic guitar can be heard more clearly…"

So be patient with any difficult musicians. Take the big-picture and long-term view, which Paul expressed in the following passage:

Philippians 1:6 (NIV) - being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

4) Make them WANT to play with you.

As I said earlier, difficult musicians are often one-trick ponies and they feel very insecure when they suspect their one trick isn't good enough. So they would rather ignore you and keep doing things THEIR way.

But if you can make them WANT to play with you, that will be enough motivation to move them out of their comfort zone. So on your part, make sure you know what you're doing. Make sure you have a decent level of skill with your instrument or voice (whichever you are using) and that you KNOW what you are trying to do with the music. If you have only a vague idea of what you want to hear, how can you expect your musicians to have a clear picture of the sound you want?

Most importantly, make sure you have respect both for yourself and the other musicians. The last thing you want others thinking is that you have great skills but lousy attitude.

Try out these tips and let me know how they go? Be blessed!

God, I Am Tired

(personal blog post)

Nearly the end of June now. School has resumed, and that means going back to the usual waking-up by 0600 hours ("It's a great time... if you're a chicken!" - Robin Williams) to get Jess to school, and after that struggle to stay away long enough for the day's panic and urgency to kick in. Then I get on with the rest of the day.

One thing about the school days, because they are quite packed, I don't realize how tired I am. But once I get that little bit more breathing space, the fatigue hits me with a vengence. And that's when I experience the 30-fold, 60-fold or 100-fold harvest, but not in the area I want!

(*blink* "where was I? Ah yes...")

Personal confession: do you know the one commandment I have been breaking shamelessly for the past 5-6 years?

Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV) - “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

The problem is, there is no such thing as breaking God's commandments and not paying for it. Even the command to let the land rest every 7 years (Lev 25:4) came with a punishment for disobedience. Disobey, and God will exile his people from that land, so that the land may enjoy its Sabbaths (Lev 26:31-35).

I know it makes me look like a slow learner (OK, maybe I am), but this year I started getting the nagging feeling that I cannot continue to abuse my body like this and expect to get away with it. So I started with trying to have one afternoon off each week.

It was tough. Why? Because I found significance and meaning in my hustle and rush. When I made myself slow down, it was as if all my self-discipline just went out the window. All the things I planned to do during my rest time (read my Bible more, practice piano or even just sleep) didn't happen. I found myself staring off into space blankly those afternoons that I DID keep free from work.

It's like those busy mothers who fall sick during public holidays and crash out on the bed for the whole day. Some of them get horrendous migraine headaches the one day they have less work to do. They were sick all that while, but it was only at that moment that they had the time to really feel it. And if they don't rest properly but try to bury the pain with even more work...

During the school holidays, I had more free time than usual, since I had less teaching. And I found myself mentally hanging (going blank) even more than usual. The good thing was that I got a bit more sleep than usual, since I didn't have to wake up that early to get Jess to school. The bad thing was that I felt so guilty over how little other work I got done during that time.

Persevere, JJ, persevere...

Other than my struggles with the discipline of rest, the rest of this month was good. I got to play accompaniment for a student's singing exam, I got to bring my sons for a movie (Kung Fu Panda 2), and I got to spend a bit more time doodling on the piano. I didn't do as much of my own writing as I wanted, because I found it hard to gather my thoughts coherently. But that is even more evidence that I am in dire need of rest. So I should just take it in my stride, right?

Now that school has resumed, however, I'll need to guard my time and my mind carefully to keep myself commited to the discipline of rest. Part of me thinks "just half a day? You call that obedience?" and another part of me is going "are you being responsible to give up that afternoon? Do you know how much income you are missing by giving up that time?"

When I find myself torn in two directions like this, I go back to this passage of Scripture:

1 John 3:19-20 - This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Maybe this will help you too, if you ever find your conscience condemning you whatever you decide. Just remember that our hearts can sometimes judge us more harshly than God does. But ultimately, how God sees us is the most important. And knowing that ought to set our hearts at rest.

OK, that's it for now. Got to get back to the stuff that needs to be done. Be blessed!

Commitment

A subscriber to my emails asked for my thoughts about commitment in ministry. It's a big topic, so i took a while to think about it. Three points came to mind

1) Commitment is a key to experiencing God's presence

In Psalm 15, we see what God looks for in a person who lives in God's presence. In other words, this is a person God is comfortable having near him; God enjoys this person's company!

Psalm 15 (NIV): LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbour no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man but honours those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.

"Who keeps his oath even when it hurts" is the best definition of commitment I can think of. It is when it hurts that you see how committed someone is. Sometimes the hurt is not even actual pain but boredom. Are you the sort of person who chooses to exercise daily, who chooses to eat and drink healthily, who feeds your spirit and mind with the word of God, even when it gets boring?

One thing that worries me is how few people can endure boredom. Growing in knowledge and skills (including music and singing skill) means sticking with something even when it is boring. Serving in ministry may not always be exciting and fresh. Are you willing to make your decisions (gaining new skills, serving God, taking good care of your physical health) a habit?

That is when you start to enjoy the benefits of commitment!

2) Commit only what you are willing to commit

One reason some people break their commitments is because they are too ambitious when they start. For example, if you are just starting to learn the guitar, committing yourself to practicing for an hour a day is not too smart, because many people take time for their fingers to get used to the guitar. If you are new to exercising, doing an hour a day of intense gym work is not wise.

When I start something, I start with what I know I can do the day after tomorrow. So if I am starting a new exercise, I take it easy on the first day, keep it up the second day and see if I can add a bit more on the third. Doing it like this helps to make it a habit.

When it comes to ministry, be very clear about how much time and effort you are able to commit. Do not let the needs of others compel you into doing more than you are willing to do.

2 Cor 9:6-8 (NIV) – Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

The above passage talks about money. We see God's heart in this area, that he wants our giving to be generous and cheerful. He does NOT want it to be grudging or forced. If we give money cheerfully, we enjoy the benefits of giving, having all that we need and abounding in good works.

I personally take that as a principle and apply it to time and effort. Give as much time and effort as you are cheerful to give. The needs of God's house will ALWAYS be great, because many people who are supposed to serve either do not want to or are unable to serve effectively. And that means that there is a heavier burden on us who are serving.

If you let that need and burden drive and compel you to serve more than you are cheerful to serve, you will burn out and get bitter sooner or later. Don't let that happen to you!

3) Honour the commitment you receive

One big problem with commitment is that it is so unassuming. When a server keeps turning up week after week after week, he or she usually fades into the background in many people's eyes. We tend to take that person for granted, and pay attention to that server only when things go wrong!

Don't do that.

It's easy to forget the good someone has done when things go wrong. After a worship session that went badly, for example, it's easy to blame the drummer that played too slow so he could do the synocopated kick-drum pattern you hated. It's not easy to remember that this drummer served faithfully even through the past few worship ministry crisis, when everyone else quit and he didn't.

That's why you MUST make yourself remember. Especially if you are a leader in your ministry. When you serve alongside the same people week after week, you have more chances for conflicts, disagreements and misunderstandings to happen. As you deal with them, remember that you are trying to resolve problems with someone you can count on, who has proven himself or herself faithful, and is therefore honoured in God's eyes because of that.

Romans 12:7 (NIV) – Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.

Conclusion:

In this post we have looked at the importance of commitment, how much commitment to give and how to receive it. Out of these three areas, which challenges you the most? Pray about it!

Christ, Ministry and Talent

Pro 27:17 (NIV) - As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Minister Warren Gilmore wrote again on my Facebook wall about a week ago. Something he said kept ringing in my spirit for some reason. He said that in my book, I teach people…

"… build their foundation on Christ first, ministry second, and then top it off with the steeple of talent, keeping us in check with of whom our gift, talent, and, most of all, ANOINTING comes from! "

His comment made me ask myself, what does it mean to build the foundation on Christ first, ministry second and then top it off with the steeple of talent?

1) Foundation on Christ

It means that our worship begins from Christ.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Hebrews 13:15, NIV)

Our sacrifices of praise will NEVER be acceptable to God based on who we are or what we do. They are acceptable ONLY in Christ. If we think that our innate goodness or the 'sincerity' of our hearts is what makes God look on our worship with favour, we are seriously deceived.

We have only ONE way to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. Jesus Christ.

It also means that Christ is the object of our worship.

John 5:22-23 (NIV) - Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.

Putting it simply, the Father takes it personally. When we honour Jesus, the Father takes it as honour we give to the Father. How about the Holy Spirit?

John 16:14-15 (NIV) - He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The calling and task of the Holy Spirit on earth is to glorify Jesus. He does so by revealing what the Father has given to Jesus, which is, everything. When we see the Father and the Holy Spirit working together to glorify Jesus, how could we ourselves not do the same?

2) Ministry second…

Some people use very emotive language to describe their worship. They say they want to bless the heart of Jesus through their worship. I personally believe that the easiest way to bless his heart is to care for what Jesus cares about.

And Jesus cared about two things while he was on earth, glorifying the Father…

John 17:4 (NIV) - I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

… and the unity of the believers.

John 17:20-23 (NIV) - “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity."

I personally discovered that after I spent a lot of time and effort working towards unifying the worship, I began to truly value unity in the Body of Christ. And if you know how much a loner I was (and still am), you'll appreciate how profound that change is to me.

Ephesians 4:3 – Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (NIV)

I know that unifying the praises of the people seems quite superficial compared to working towards them being of one spirit and one mind (Phi 2:2). But if God will respond to that unity with his glory (2 Chronicles 5:13) then it obviously matters to him. And let's face it, if I am not faithful to do the easier task what makes you think God will entrust me with the harder one?

3) Steeple of Talent

The steeple is a tall tower on a building, usually topped by a spire (spear-like point). It gets the attention, but it doesn't support the building. In the worship ministry, talent gets the attention, but it isn't a foundation for the ministry. Only Christ and a genuine heart for the people he loves will do as a foundation for a sustainable and effective worship ministry.

I know it's fashionable these days to say that musical skill is the least important aspect of the worship ministry. And many worship musicians will say that Christ comes first, ministry second and musical talent third. They will talk about how they offer their skills to God, to serve him.

But talk is cheap. The REAL test of whether a singer or musician has offered his/her skills to God is when they find out what they do does NOT work. For example:

1. Some musicians have a very unique and personal playing style. That's great for self-expression. But are they willing to let go of that and play normal stuff so that the congregation focuses more on God than on the music?
   
2. Others may have gaps in their skill set, and find that they can't play what works. Will they start to take lessons and practice diligently to pick up the skills they lack?
   
3. Or if they are worship leaders, they may find that their singing range is too different from the average congregation member. That's when they have to decide if they will either train their singing range till it fits the congregation better, or if they will take a backseat and sing backup vocals instead.
   
4. In my case, I believe that 2 Kings 3 tells me to play like a harp when supporting prophecy or prayer time. I use that concept on the piano and it works. But there is a minister whom I regularly play for who moves powerfully in the prophetic. And he doesn't want the harp effect, he wants subdued chords on the jazz organ sound. Am I going to tell him, "Pastor, you are wrong! We're supposed to do it MY way…" or do I just give him what he wants, which he knows works for him?

So when the REAL test comes, that is when we see if people have a genuine heart to offer their skills to God.

I know I sound very exclusionist when I talk about these matters. But I am not. I honestly believe that worship ministry takes the least amount of skill and talent, compared to other ways of serving the Lord via music. But the skill and talent must be directed correctly.

And it may also be that a musician or singer may actually be gifted and called to serve God in other ways. Because we usually see the worship ministry using music most often, it's easy to forget that there are other ways of serving God through music and singing as well. If we try to force such people into the worship ministry, we are only making EVERYONE involved suffer. The musicians/singers suffer because there is a mismatch of ability and need, the congregation suffers because they are not getting what they need to unify their praises unto God.

Conclusion:

Stop for a moment and prayerfully consider your own ministry in the light of Minister Warren Gilmore's exhortation. Let's not get so caught up with getting things done until we forget to check if we are doing the right things or doing things right!